Type-writing machine.



Pate ntedJan.30, 1912 mums-smut A] WIZISYSMITH- TYPE WRITING MAGHIKE; APPLICATION FILED D110. 6, 1911).

' I I INTVEN TUR;

HlATTI RNEY MINI-3555: R V

A. W. SMITH. TYPE WRITING MACHINE. APPLIGATIOH FILED DEC. 5, 1910.

Patented J an. 30, 1912., r 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I VEN I'UR HISATTEIR'NEY A. W. SMITH. TYPE WRITINGMACHIN E. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 5 i910.

Patented Jan. 30, "1912.

3 SHEETS-S HEBT 3.

an E T N 9m W WITNESSES]:

HISAT'TEIR'NEV To all whom it may concern UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR w. SMITH, on NEW YORK,'1\I. Yr, ASSIGNOR T YOS'EE WRITING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ILIQN, NEW YORK,

A CORPORATION OF n svv YORK.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

- Application filed December 5, 1910, Serial No. 595,625.

Be it known that I, ARTH n WV. Snnri, citizen of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-WVI-iting Machines; of Which the fication.

My invention relates to typewriting mafollowing is a specichines and more particularly tov case shift mechanism bywhich a relative case shift movement is effected, b'etweenthe platen and the printinginstrumentalities.

,It has been customary heretofore in order .to write aword beginning-with a capital letter, to effect a letter space after completing the previously written Word, by depressing the usual space key and then depressing the'case shift key and holding it depressed with one hand while the capital let'- ter was written wnlrthe other hand. This required much time and there was a' liability of the imprint being effected at a time when the platen OFShlftGCl member was in motion, or before theshift had beencompleted, or at a time when the shifted member was returning under a relaxation The main object of 'my invention, gener- -ally stat'ed, is to provide improved means for overcoming these'disadvantages and to provide means whereby a relative ease shift movement between the platen and the printing instrumentalities may be effected at the same-time thata letter space movement is effected at the end of a word, fon'instrnce', and to -efi'ect both of thesem'ovementsby the single operation ofa single key.

A further object of my invention, gener= "ally stated, is to provide improved case'shift s mechanism in which the platen or shifted member is automatically locked in its shifted position and is automatically. released at thegfirst printing operation or at the first subsequent actuation of the letter sp'ac-i ingkey.

-To-the above and. other'ends which will hereinafter appear,-my invention consists in the features of construction, arrangements of parts and combinations of devices vto be.

hereinafter described "and particularly pointed out in the appended claims I In the accompanying drawings, wherein like referencecharacters indicate corre- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 30, 1912."

spending parts'in the various views, igure 1 1s a vertical central fore and aftsec tional view of one form of typewriting machine embodying my invention,"the parts being shown normally disposed in ,this view.-

Figs.2, 3, 4am 5 are fragmentarydiagram- .maticvside elevation-s with parts'in section,

the views showing portions of the case shift in the present instance ina Yostvisible machine, although it should be understood that the invention may be embodied in various styles of typewritingmachines,.and that it isimmaterial; for the purpose of the present inveiitioni'what the shiftable member con trolled by the case shift mechanism is,'the platen being shifted in the present instance.

The frame of the machine comprises side plates 1, front and-:rear cross plates 2 and 3 respectively, and atop plate 4. .A carriage 5 is provided with oppositely grooved guide rails 6 which receive anti-friction balls or rollers 7 which are likewise received inoppositely grooved fixedsguide rails. 8. The carriage'is, thus mounted to. move from side to side of the machine over the} top plate. A platen frame 9 is pivoted on" parallel links 10 which ;-a rein turn pivbted 'at their rear ends, as ads- 11, to the carriage,

to afford a case shifting movement of the platen frame and the cylindrical platen 12 whichis carried thereby; A cross bar 13 unites the end plates o'f'the platen frame and carries a depending bracket arm 14 which supports a roller 15. This roller bears upon a shift rail 16 connected atits ends to depending-arms or rods 17, 'guid'ed intheir vertical movements by guide roll- 1ers18. Thef-lower end of each'rod 17 is pivoted at 19 to 'avrearwardly extending lever arm 20 fixedly connected to a rockshaft 21 mounted at its ends in'suitable bearings'in the frame 'ofthe machine. The

ioo

left-hand lever arm 20 forms apart of a Case shift key lever.=.22 provided at'its forwardend with a rigidly connected case shift key 23'. If desired the lever. arm 20 at the right-hand side of themachine may. also be extended forwardly beyond. the rock shaft 2lito the'keyboard, and it may also, if

desired, be provided with a' case-shift key similar to the key 23 on the shift key lever 22, so that shift keys may be provided at The springs constitute counterbalance springs which counteract the weight of the platen and the case shift mechanism, to afford a movement of the platen to the upper case position by comparatively slight pressure exerted by the case shift key 23. Each printing instrumentality, or type bar proper 527, is pivoted at 28 to aguide link .29. .A driver 30 is pivoted at 81 to each type bar and is also pivot-ed at 32 to a hanger 33. A connecting link is pivoted at one endto a driver 30 and at its opposite end to an actuating bell crank lever pivoted at 36 to a suitable hanger. A downwardly extending link 37 connects each bell crank lever with its associate printing key lever 38, provided with the usual printing key "It will be understood that the type bars are segmentally arranged and adapted to strike upwardly andrearwardl y against the front face of the platen on the depression of the' printing keys 39.

An-escapement wheel -10 is connected in the usual or any suitable manner with the carriage, to afford step-by-step letter space movements at the actuation of the printing keys or a space key or bar 41. Feed dogs 42 cooperate with the escapement wheel and these feed dogs are fixed to a dog rocker as and are so constructed and arranged as to afford a half-and-half drop of the escapement wheel at the back and. forth .movements of the dog rocker. The dog rocker 43 is fixed to a shaft 4A mounted to turn in suitable bearings in the base of the machine, the dog rocker being returned to normal positionby a spring ll. Forwardly extending arms at!) are fixed to the rock shaft 4A near the ends thereof. A universal bar 46 is fixed to the forward ends of the arms 4.5, and extendstransversely across the machine beneath the printing key levers 38 and the levers l? near each side of the machine on which the space key or bar 41 is mounted. The printing key levers 38 and the space key levers 47 are pivoted at -18 to an auxiliary frame 49 fixed to the main frame of the machine. The construction and arrangement of the parts are such that during the ordinary actuation of the printing keys 39 and the space bar or key ll, the universal bar 416 is depressed, and a letter space movement of the carriage is effected.

The construction and operation of the parts thus far described are the same as in o l on the shift key lever.

the Test visible machine, except as will hereinafter more clearly appear.

The shift key lever 22 at. one side of the machine has pivoted--thereto at 50 a locking lcveror latch This lever is provided with a linger key 52 oll'set forwardly of the pivot 50, so that pressure exerted upon this key will tend to turn the locking lever 51 on its pivot as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5 as well as to depress the shift lever This turning of the lever 51 is exerted against the pressure of a contractile spring connected at one end to the locking lever and at its opposite end to a depending ear turningmovement of the member 5l-is to throw a locking nose or catch 55 thereon into contact with the forward inclined face ofja fixed locking device 56, and when the The effect of the shift key lever reaches the lowermostposition said locking nose will be forced beneath the lower edge of the fixed locking device 56 to maintain the platen in its shifted position indefinitely. The return movement of the locking leverbl, around its pivot 50,

is limited by a laterally projecting stop pin 57 on the locking lever engaging the lower edge of the shift key lever. This construction is similar to that employed in the Yost visible machine, and it will be understood 5 that when pressure is exerted on the key 52' it is effective to shift the platen and lock it in its shifted position, whereas pressure on the shift key 23 shifts the platen, and the platen in" the' Yost machine is allowed to resume its normal or lower case position when pressure is released upon the temporary shift key 23. In the present instance, however, I have provided means whereby pressure exerted upon the shift key which is adapted to be projected beneath the horizontally disposed arm of a fixed locking device 61, as shown in Fig. 3', to lock the shift key lever in its depressed position. A second depending arm 62 on the locking latch has a controlling member 63 pivoted thereto at 64:. The controlling member is provided with an offset car 65 to which one end of a contractile spring 66 is connected, the opposite end of said spring being con:

nccted to an arm 67 of an adjustable device (38., The device 68 is pivoted to the fixed auxiliary frame at 69' and is in the nature of a spring plate. A laterally projecting finger piece 70 accessible from one side of the machine is provided on the de-- Thus the shift key lever 22 110 comes operative. Thus the controlling memvice or member 68 for shifting it from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that indicated in Fig. 5, or vice versa. 'Iiaterally pro-- jecting stop members 71 and 7 2 extend from the device '68 and cooperate with the aux iliary frame to' limit the movements of thedevice 68 in opposite directions. There is sufiicient friction between the device 68 and the part 73 of the auxiliaryframe on which .it is mounted, to maintain the device 68 against accidental displacement from,either of the two positions to which it may be moved by hand, the spring plate hke -body portionof the member 68 :bearing against the part .73 to hold the member -68 in place trolling member 63,'and the automatically actuated case shift lock mechanism then beber 63 is provided with a forwardly extending .arm 74 which ;xtends through a slot in the member 61 and'is adapted to bear against and fulcrum on the underside of a horizontal portionthereof, as shown in Fig. 2. The controlling member is also provided with an engaging nose -7 5 which isadapted to co5perate with the universal bar 46 as will presently appear. When the device 68 is positioned as indicated in Fig. 2,and

case shift key 23 is depressed, as indicated in-Fig. 3, by a direct pressure thereon the spring 66, acting through'the controlling member 63, will cause the latch 58 to receive a slight movement on its pivot 59 to bring the looking or engaging nose 60 on the latch beneath the companion locking member 61; this engagement taking place at the termination of the depression of the shiftkey 23, thus locking the shift key lever in the depressed position. The controlling member 63'is normally maintained in such position that the engaging hose 75 will bear with. a

light pressure exerted by the spring 66,

against the forward face of the' universal bar which atthis time' remains in the elevated position, as indicated in Fig. 3', so that at the termination of the down stroke or depression of the shift key 23 said engaging nose 75 will be'forced beneath the universal bar as represented in Fig. 3. The parts are thus disposed while the shift key lever is maintained or locked-in the depressed posi tion and after the same has been depressed by a direct pressure exerted on the key 23. -It follows, therefore, that if at this time. a

printing key 39 or the space key 11 be actuated, the former through downward projections 7 6 and the "latter through downward projections 7 6 the universal bar 46 will be depressed, thereby carrying the controlling member 63 down with it, thus causing the latch 58 to be turned on itspivot 59 to disengage said latch frem the locking member 61. The parts are shown disposed in Fig. 4 in the positions which they assume at the instant when this disengagement of the latch takes place. From this view it will also be seen that a slight pivotal movement of the controlling member 63 on its pivot 64 has taken place to remove the engaging nose 75 from beneath the universal barfthus freeing the controlling member and the locking .latch 58 so that the platen is free to return to lower. case or normal position. -It will thereforebe; understood that at the first;

printingyoperation, the automatically actuated locking meansfor the case shift mechanism is automatically released and that such release may also be efiected at the first depression of a space key.

Ifthedevice 68 be turned to the position shown in Fig. "5 then there is no appreciable pull exerted by the spring 66 on the controlling member 63 and'pn the latch 58, in the normal positions of theparts. A depression of the shift key 23 at this time is'merely effective to move the latch 58 down with the key without throwing the latch into engagement with the companion locking. device 61, and without throwing the engaging nose 7 5 beneath the universal bar. It follows therefore that as soon as pressure on the shift key 23 is released by the operator it will return to normal position and the platen will return to its lower case position.

Should the operator desire to retain the platen in the upper case position to write continuously upper case characters it is merely necessary to depress the permanent shift key".52.- This effects an engagement between the locking device or latch 51- and the cotiperating fixed locking device 56. At this time the member 68 is preferably adjusted to the position shown in Fig. 5 so that the automatic locking means for the case shift mechanism is rendered inopera:

tive. A release of the permanent locking' device 51 is elfected by exerting a'slight downward. pressure on the shift key- 23 which'relieves the locking device 51 of the pressure exerted againstitby the case shift mechanism and enables the spring 53 to Withdraw the locking nose out of engagement with the fixed locking device 56.

Case shift mechanism. is more generally used to begin a word wlth a capital letter,

it seldom occurring that capital letters are i used entirely. h 'In order that the platen, or

shiftable member, may receive a case shifting movement and a letter space movement of the carriage may likewise be etlectedby a single operation at the CUIl'lPlOtlOli of a word, and when it is desired to begin. the next word with a capital] letter, I have provided means whereby a. case shift movement of the platen may be effected througl'i' :an actuation oi. the letter space key etl. Thus the space key levers l7, which are adjacent to the shift levers 22 are provided with laterally cxten ding projections 77 which extend inwardly therefrom and over the adjacent shift key levers as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be observed that these projections 77, in the normal disposition of the parts, extend above and out of contact with the shift key lovers. The construction is such that when the shift key is depressed the usual extentto effect a letter space. movement of the carriage, the overlapping projections 77 will be brought into contact with the adjacent shift key levers without actuating them. A further downward movement of the space key to the position shown in Fig. 2, and under the exertion of a greater pressure, is effective, nevertheless, to depress the shift key. levers 22 to produce a case shift movement of the platen, and an automatic actuation of the automatic shift lock mechanism in the manner hereinbefore described. The further downward movement of the. space key has no effect on the escapement mechanism as one of the dogs is merely carried slightly farther through the teeth of the escapement wheel without releasing it. The depression of the space key as described above is effective to carry down the universal bar 46 beforethe'nose'r'o has had an opportunity to be moved beneath theuniversal bar, as indicated in Fig. As soon pressure :isreleased on the letter space key if] it will be restored to. normal position by the usual restoring sprlng. (not shown). The return movementot the space key affords .a returnmovement of the universal bar to the position shown in Fig. 3 and the nose will snap beneath the universal bar as shown in said figure. These return movements of the. spacekey and universal bar are effected independently of the case shift levers which at this time are locked in the depressed positions. lVhen the space key returns to normal position a complete letter space movement of the carriage will have universal bar down and with it the member (53, as shown in Fig. el, thereby automatically releasing the lock 58 to enable the platen to be restored to the normal. or lower case position after the imprintof a single upper case character. Moreover, by locking the platen, or shiftable member, in its shifted position even when only a single upper case character is to be written, I insure a proper and effective maintenance of the platen against vibration in its shifted position, which vibration would result in a blurred or imperfect imprint. It will. also be understood that there is no liability of the imprintof a character being eil'ected during the shift of the platen, since the platen is shifted to the uppercase position when the carriage is'being spaced after writingthe last letter of the previously written word, and the platen is automatically returned instantly after the capital letter is written and not before and there is no necessity for depending on'the judgment of the operator in. timing theshifting and printing movements relatively to each other. I have also provided means whereby'the automatically actuated case shi t lock may be rendered inoperative at will, if desired, by merely adjusting the member 68 to the position shown in Fig. 5. I have also provided means by which the platen may; be maintained indefinitely in its shifted 'position through the control of the shift key 52.

Various changes may be made. without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

' \Vha-t-I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen, printing instrumentalities, printing keys, case shift mechanism for effecting a relative caseshift movement'between the platen and printing instrumentalities, means for automatically locking the case shifted member in its shifted position, means controlled by anactuation of any of the printing keys for releasing the locked case shift mechanism, and means operable at will for rendering said automatically operating lockingmeans inoperative.

2. In a typew'riting machine, the combination'of a platen, printing inst-rumentalities, case shift mechanism for effecting a relative case shift movement between the platen and printing instrumentalities, a letter spacing key, means by which said spacing key is rendered effective to actuate the said shift mechanism, automatically operating means for locking the case shifted member in its shifted position, a universal. bar for the let ter spacing mechanism, and means whereby said universal bar is rendered effective to re lease said locking means.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen, printing instrumentalities,

' case shift movement between the platen and} case shift mechanismfor efiecting a relative her in its shifted position, a universal'bar for the letter space mechanism, means" whereby said universal baris rendered effective to release said locking means, and means for rening key, means controlled thereby for re-' dering said locking means inoperative.

a case shift key lever, ineans controlled thereby for effecting a relati-ye' case shift -mov'emnt between theplaten'and printing.

ins'truinent'alities, an automatically operating latch carried by said key lever, a printleasing said latch, and means for rendering said latch inoperative. 5., In a typewriting machine,the combination -of a platen, printing instruinentalities,

'a case shift key lever, means controlledthereby foreffecting a relative case-shift, "movement between the' platen and; printing instrumentalities, an automatically operating. latch carried by said case shift ikey ?1 e-' ver, a printing key, nieanS'cOntrQHed there by for releasing said-latch, anda. separate independently controlled locking latch op erable at will to lock andmaintain' the case shift key lever depressed indefinitely.

tion of a platen, printing'instrumentalities,

a case shift key,lever means,-.controlled thereby for effect-inggamelative case shift movement between the" platen and printing instrumentalities, an automatically operatdependently controlled locking latch op.-

erable at will to lock andmaintain the case shift key lever, depressed indefinitely.

means for locking the case shifted memben in its shifted position, a printing key, means controlled by said printing .key for releasing said locking means, and separate independently controlled locking means operable at will 'to lock and maintain .the shiftable member indefinitely in its shifted position.

8. In a typewriting' machine, the combination of a platen, printing instrumentalities, case shift mechanism for. efiecting a relative case shift movement between the platen and printing instrumentalities, a. letter spacing key, letter spacing mechanism controlled thereby, means. by .which said letter space 7 In a typewriting machine, the combina j mechanism. aloneis actuated by the dip ;of

the spacing :key a. given extent, means :by whicha furtherdip ofsaid letter spacing key is effective to actuate said case shift 1 mechanism; locking means for "said -case independently controlled locking means op- I erable at will to lock andniaintain the case 4. In a typewritingmachine, the comb1na-' tion of a platen, printing 'nstrumentalities,.

. shiftedmember indefinitely in its shifted positionl- .1-

/ 9.- I "atypewriting machine, the combination of aplaten, printing instrumentalities, v

' case shift n' echanismffor eifectinga relative mechanism-'alonejis. actuated by the dip of the space keya givenextent, means by which a further dip of said -l'etter space key is effective to actuate-said case-shift mechanism,-

locking means for/said. case shift mechai'nism, a printing key, means controlled by an actuation of said printing'key for releasing said, locking means, and. separate independen'u controlled locking means operable at will to lock andmaintain-thdcase shifted member indefinitely in its shifted position. J10 Ina typewriting machine, the combi- H J fnati on-of a platen, printing instrumentali- 6. In a typewriting mach ne the comb1na-' ties, key controlled case shiftmechanism for efiecting a relative case shift movement between "the platen and printing instrumentalities, means for locking the case shiftedmember in its shifted position,-means' for -automaticallyreleasing said lockingmeans, ing latch carried'by said case shift key le'j means operable at will for rendering said 7 lockin means inoperative, and separate independently controlled lockingmeans operable at will to-lock and maintain the'case' shifted member indefinitely in its shifted position: a a I 11 In a typewriting machine, the combi-- nation of a platen; printing in trum'entalities; case shifting mechanism orv effecting a relative ease shift movement between the platen and; printing instrumentalities, said case shifting mechanism comprising 'a case' .sh-i'ft'key lever; a spring-pressed locking latch pivoted on said case shift key lever; a companion locking device carried by a fixed portionof, the machine and with which said locking latch engages when the shift key lever is, depressed; means for automatically releasing said locking latch at the first print-ing operation to enable the case shifted.

member to be automatically returned to normal position; an independent locking latch pivoted on said case shift key lever; 'a, separate key for controlling said. independ-' ent locking latch; and a fixed device cooperative with said independent locking latch to maintainsaid, shift key-lever depressed indefinitely.

12. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen; printinginstrumentalities; a letter spacing key lever which extends fore and aft of the machine; case shift mechanism for effecting a relative ease shift between the platen and the printing instrumentalities, said case shift mechanism including a case shift key lever parallel with and adjacent to said letter spacing key lever; and a projection extending laterally from said letter spacing key lever and over said case shift key lever so that the spacing key lever is operative to actuate the shift key lever.

13. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a platen; printing instrumentalities; a letter spacing key lever which .eX- tends fore and aft of the machine; case shift mechanism for effecting a relative ease shift between the platen and the printing instrumentalities, said oaseshift mechanism including a case shift key lever parallel with and adjacent to said letter spacing key lever; and a projection extending laterally from said letter spacing key lever and over said case shift key lever so that the spacing key lever is operative to actuate the shift key lever, said projection being located normally above the shift key lever so that a part of the'movement of the space key lever may be effected independently of the shift key lever.

14. In a typewriting machine, the combination ofa platen; printing instrumentali tics; a letter spacing .key lever which extends fore and. aft of the machine; case shift mechanism for effecting a relative ease shift between the platen and the printing instrumentalities, said ease shift mechanism including a case shift key lever'parallel with and adjacent to said letter spacing key lever, a projection extending laterally from said letter spacing key lever and over said case shift key lever so that the spacing key lever is operative to actuate the shift key lever, automatically actuated means for locking the shift key lever depressed, a

I printingkey, and means controlled thereby for automatically releasing said locking means.

15. In a typewritin'g machine, the combination of a platen; printing instrumentalities; a letter spacing key; lever which extends fore and aft of the machine; case shift mechanism for effecting a relative case shift between the platen'and the printing instrumentalities, said case shift mechanism including a case shift key lever parallel with and adjacent to said letter spacing key lever, a projection extending laterally from said letter spacing key lever and over said ties; case shift mechanism for effecting a relative ease shifting movement between said platen and printing instmimentalities, said case shift mechanism including a case shift lever; automatically actuated means for locking the case shift lever in its shifted position, said means comprising a latch pivoted to said shift keylever, and a device on the frame of the machine with which said latch cooperates; printing keys; a universal bar for the letter space mechanism and automatically actuated releasing means controlled by said printingkeys for releasing said locking means, said releasing means comprising acontrolling member pivoted to said latch and actuated by said universal bar. I I

17. In atypewriting machine, the combination of a platen; printing instrumentalities; case shift mechanism for effecting relative case shifting movement between said platen and printing instrumentalities, said case shift mechanism including a case shift lever; automatically actuated means for locking the case shift lever in its shifted position, said means comprising a latch pivoted to said shift key lever, and a device on the frame of the machine with which said latch cooperates; printing keys; a universal bar for the letter space mechanism; automatically actuated releasing means controlled by said printing keys for releasing said lockingmeans, said releasing means comprising a controlling member pivoted to said latch and actuated by said universal bar; a spring connected to said controlling member; and an adjustable device for varying the pressure of the spring on said controlling member to render the automatically actuated locking means operative or inoperative as may be desired. 1

Signed at the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New I ork'this 3rd day of December, A. I). 1910. I

'- ARTHUR W; SMITH;

W itnesses M. F. HANNWEBER, CHARLES E. SMITH. 

